NE NEWS SERVICE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA/ WASHINGTON, DC, MAY 9
US vice-president Kamala Harris said on Friday the situation in India, which is battling a devastating second wave of Covid-19 cases, is “nothing short of heartbreaking” and America is “determined to help India in its hour of need”.
Harris spoke on the crisis in India for the first time after the Biden administration pledged assistance worth $100 million to help the country fight the second wave of the pandemic.
Planeloads of supplies have already reached India, including refillable oxygen cylinders, N95 masks, and Remdesivir. The US has also announced support for India and South Africa’s proposal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to temporarily waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to ensure easy access to them around the world.
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Indiaspora raises over $1 mn for COVID relief from diaspora leaders in 48 hours
“As many of you know, generations of my family come from India. My mother (Shyamala Gopalan) was born and raised in India, and I have family members who live in India today,” Harris said in a recorded video message played at a US state department virtual event on American support and the role of the Indian diaspora.
"For years, diaspora groups like Indiaspora and the American India Foundation @AIF have built bridges between the United States and India. And this past year, you have provided vital contributions to COVID-19 relief efforts." @VP @KamalaHarris
Watch here: https://t.co/ho0CDTRCey
— Indiaspora (@IndiasporaForum) May 7, 2021
Following remarks from Vice President Harris on the United States’ strong partnership with India, Silicon Valley angel investor and entrepreneur MR Rangaswami, who founded Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian diaspora leaders, spoke about the outpouring of support from the Indian diaspora toward India’s COVID-19 relief efforts during a discussion hosted by the State Department.
“The message from the Vice President about the strong and long-standing U.S.-India partnership was a reaffirming one, and we are humbled by her acknowledgement of how Indiaspora has played a critical role,” said Executive Director of Indiaspora Sanjeev Joshipura. “During a time when people are hurting, the message was clear that the United States, along with its Indian diaspora, will continue to stand with India.”
MR Rangaswami spoke about the diaspora and the broader American community’s unprecedented response to India’s COVID-19 pandemic during a panel discussion hosted by the U.S. State Department, “Bolstering U.S. COVID Relief Efforts in India: Perspectives from the Diaspora,” with fellow diaspora leaders.
“One of our biggest focus areas for Indiaspora is philanthropy. When COVID-19 first hit, we started a campaign called ChaloGive. This has hit everyone on a personal basis. I’m treating this as a personal emergency as well as a call to action,” said MR Rangaswami, who lost his sister to COVID-19 a few months ago. “We are grateful to the U.S. government, to the diaspora, and to the greater American community for stepping up during this time.”
Moderated by the U.S. State Department’s South and Central Asia Senior Bureau Official, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ervin Massinga, the panel discussion also included the following speakers: Honorable State Senator Dr. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia; Gunisha Kaur, Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Medical Director, Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights; and Lata Krishnan, American Indian Foundation Founder and Co-Chair of the Board. In addition to remarks from Vice President Harris, the USAID’s Deputy Assistant Administrator Anjali Kaur also offered remarks about USAID’s contributions to the relief efforts.
Indiaspora officially launched their giving platform ChaloGive.org May 3rd as a grassroots initiative for the public to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts in India after Indiaspora served as a $1 million matching partner for the high-profile fundraiser, HELP INDIA BREATHE, organized by author and podcast host Jay Shetty.
The ChaloGive for India campaign facilitates giving by the global diaspora toward on-the-ground NGOs working in three areas of COVID-19 relief: the creation of urgently needed COVID care centers and makeshift hospitals through nonprofit WISH Foundation, direct cash transfer to families who have lost a primary earning member through nonprofit GiveIndia, and food relief and livelihood assistance for migrant workers and other underserved populations through EdelGive Foundation to nonprofits Goonj and Jan Sahas.
Donors from anywhere in the world can either choose one area to donate to, or make a contribution that will be evenly split between all three areas. U.S. donors also receive a tax exemption.
Visit ChaloGive.org for additional information and resources.
